Inadequate negotiations between the University of Ottawa and their full-time professors led to a protest Wednesday, and the possibility of a late November strike.
Union
It’s no secret that UOSU’s voter turnout is pathetically low and just getting worse. We need strong candidates with strong campaigns.
Matthew Edginton formerly served on the 2023-2024 Board of Directors for UOSU before resigning soon after being elected.
The Union is protesting budget cuts by the University that have reduced TA contracts, expanded class sizes, and affect Francophone programs and courses.
Students have not been able to access any public documents pertaining to the UOSU’s 2021-22 Board of Directors (BOD). This includes meeting minutes, subcommittee minutes and Executive Committee members’ reports which were public in the Union’s first two years of existence on its Google Drive. Why?
The University of Ottawa Student Union published its 2021 General Election results in the evening of March 27. Current advocacy commissioner, Tim Gulliver was elected the union’s second-ever president in an undisputed race.
Sam Schroeder sat down with the Fulcrum to discuss the challenges in establishing the new union, working to reduce student apathy, filling the role of equity commissioner, and whether the UOSU will join the Canadian Federation of Students.
The executive committee and board of directors for the new union were also elected.
If the referendum passes, full-time students would pay mandatory union fees totalling $105.88 per semester. This fee would cover all core union functions including safety, academic support, and health services.
A majority of candidates are running uncontested, and many positions have no candidates at all.
Candidates must be currently registered in an undergraduate program at the University of Ottawa and pass an administration administered bilingualism exam.
The development follows allegations that the SFUO laid off employees and began liquidating assets, following a breakdown in negotiations with the UOSU.
“Both parties agreed to open and transparent communication throughout the transition process,” said a representative of the UOSU in an email to the Fulcrum. “The SFUO has failed to maintain open communication with us and we have been left in the dark regarding most of their plans.”
“I don’t think anyone expects this to be easy, and I don’t think anyone claimed it would be easy,” —Tiyana Maharaj.
The debate was the final event planned before the vote for a new student union at the U of O on Feb. 8. Tensions were high as both unions answered questions from students and moderators about the future of student services on campus.
The motion ultimately failed to pass during the annual general meeting of the CFS due to a lack of time for debate. It was referred to the CFS’ national executive but the results of the vote are unknown.
